I grew up in the “Like a Rock” days of American car commercialism. The days where the work ethic of blue-collar jobs, the rugged freedom of an empty dirt road, and the sweat dripping from a hard day’s work were sexy.

It was, for all intents and purposes, the All-American Way.

Honda/Acura was always seen as the outsider in those days. Sure, the cars sold well due to their budding reputation for dependability and affordability, but people who bought Hondas and Acuras never had the sense they were behind the wheel of an American car.

Which is why when Glenn Muller of Muller Acura of Merrillville told me buying a Honda was really buying the most “American” of cars on the market, I moved on to our next topic of discussion.

“Honda is the most American car out there,” Glen insisted. “Look it up when you get home and tell me what you find out.”

Naturally, I did, and here’s what I found out…

If you’re driving a Honda/Acura, there’s a 99% chance it was made here in North America, which is far and away the highest percentage of any International auto maker. In total, this percentage equates to over 1.2 million cars and trucks produced in North America in 2015.

But it gets even more “American” than that.

Honda has made a commitment to not only North America and the United States, but also in supplying money and jobs to the different regions their cars and trucks are being produced in.

But it gets even deeper than that. Those 250,000 vehicles are made up of about 900 parts from hundreds of suppliers, mainly from Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The Honda Civic, for instance, uses 150 suppliers, with 120 of those being from the Midwest.

This means Honda is not only providing jobs to Indiana residents helping to build the cars directly, but by using parts and supplies made in Indiana, they are subsequently helping industries thrive and indirectly providing jobs to thousands of hard-working people throughout the state.

Glenn was right. If you want the pride of driving something made in America, the feel of knowing you’re supporting local business, then take a stop into Muller Acura of Merrillville, and check out a dealer whose manufacturer has invested $17 billion into the American economy, purchased more than $37 billion in American goods, and provides nearly 30,000 jobs in the United States.